ANTHONY TOLLIVER
AGE: 30
NBA EXPERIENCE: 8 seasons
BECAME A PISTON: The Pistons traded Tony Mitchell to Phoenix on Dec. 24, 2014 in exchange for Anthony Tolliver.
CAREER MILESTONES: Tolliver went undrafted out of Creighton after a four-year career, signing in July 2008 with San Antonio. He beat long odds to win a roster spot and stuck with the Spurs until January 2009, waived before his contract became guaranteed for the rest of that season. He got a 10-day deal with Charlotte later that season, was waived by Miami in 2009 training camp, had a brief stint with Portland in December and later stuck for good with Golden State after signing two 10-day deals in January 2010. Tolliver spent two years with Minnesota, then one apiece with Atlanta and Charlotte before landing a two-year deal in Phoenix that the Pistons took on less than halfway through the first season. Tolliver’s most substantive NBA role came with Golden State when Don Nelson moved him into the starting lineup and Tolliver averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 32 minutes a game.
CAREER ARC: Tolliver initially stuck in the NBA for his smarts and defense. He developed a 3-point shot along the way that became his calling card. Sixty percent of Tolliver’s career shot attempts have come from the 3-point line, a figure that has steadily accelerated and reached its peak in 2015-16 when 82 percent of Tolliver’s shots for the Pistons came from the arc. Tolliver has held a steady role since the Pistons acquired him from Phoenix as the power forward for the second unit. He’s a career .357 3-point shooter who has registered the same .360 mark in each of his two Pistons seasons.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Tolliver’s 3-point streaks helped the Pistons to a number of critical wins. One of the biggest came on Jan. 25 at Utah with the Pistons playing the last of a four-game road trip and trying to get home with a 2-2 record. They led the Jazz by 10 to start the quarter, but Utah’s Rodney Hood got hot and knocked down 4 of 5 triples in a 14-point quarter. Tolliver helped the Pistons pull out a three-point win by sinking 3 of 4 triples in the quarter and 4 of 5 for the game. Tolliver had a big hand in both wins the Pistons had over Miami, scoring 12 points and hitting 4 of 6 triples in a 23-point rout of the Heat in November and sparking a bench-led rally from 18 down to win by one at Miami in December, hitting 3 of 5 from the arc. Tolliver matched his season high of 17 in a playoff-critical March win over Brooklyn, hitting 4 of 7 triples. Tolliver averaged 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in almost 19 minutes a game.
2016-17 ROLE: If Tolliver is back on the roster next season, his role probably will depend on what else the Pistons are able to do in free agency. Stan Van Gundy met with Tolliver after the season and later he told reporters he was honest with the veteran, saying that while he would be open to Tolliver’s return there were other priorities to come first in free agency. Beyond Tolliver’s 3-point shooting and his utter reliability as a defender who can be counted on to carry out assignments, Van Gundy values Tolliver’s professionalism and veteran presence on an otherwise very young team.
CONTRACT STATUS: Tolliver will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.